Timer-Tab is an easy to use online alarm clock, timer, and/or stopwatch. Click on any of the functions, set your time, and get started. The alarm clock and countdown move in increments of hours, minutes, and seconds. The countdown and stopwatch also have a pause feature. One especially handy feature is that the time displays on the browser time so you can see it as you navigate other web sites.

In the Classroom

There are many uses for this practical online tool. At the beginning of the school year, display on your interactive whiteboard or projector to time or countdown any classroom activity. That will get the students in the habit of checking how much time they have left. Use this tool for students to practice speeches, or to limit time for a quiz or spelling test. Use the countdown feature for timing the rotations from center to center. Use the timer for reading fluency exercises or physical education warm-ups. Employ the count-down as a clever classroom management tool on your computer screen when you want the class to settle down for directions or to transition to the next subject. Students may even want to use this tool for themselves. Have a timer tab open in your web browser as you display web sites on a projector or web based activities on an interactive whiteboard so students know how much more time they have to read the site or complete the activity. Have kindergarten students practice counting along with the watch!

Use this colorful map to locate and read newspapers from around the world. Click on map pins to locate newspapers or search using filters such as languages. Use the key to locate newspapers in each language. Yellow pins indicate English language newspapers, Spanish pink, etc. Don't worry if newspapers are not in a language you need. Choose the links provided to translate into one of many options. When ready, click on a pin to go to the newspaper's home website.

In the Classroom

Newspaper Map is a great resource for locating news and culture from around the world. Share with your students to show them different perspectives on world events. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram (reviewed here) to compare and contrast coverage between two newspapers. Have students make a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here after reading and comparing many different articles. Explore this site during Newspaper in Education week or as part of a unit on the basics of journalistic writing. World language teachers can use newspapers to teach about both language and culture. Have world cultures or social studies students learn about local culture through advertisements and articles and share their findings using a screencast (or screenshots) of the newspaper and talking about their discoveries. A free tool like Screencast-o-matic, reviewed here, or Screencastify (Chrome app), reviewed here, works well for screencasts.

Strikingly allows you to make beautiful, one-page websites quickly without any coding experience. View sites on any device. Quickly connect to social media, track analytics, and add contact forms easily. Create an account using email and a password to begin. Choose a category from business, personal, or portfolio to choose a template and begin editing. Click each section to edit. Upload images from your computer or many other options such as Dropbox, Instagram, and Picasa. When finished, choose the Publish button to personalize your url. Share via Facebook, Twitter, or by emailing the url. Free plans allow for one page per user. However, you can earn points to access additional content by "Liking" Strikingly on Facebook or other options. There is a 5 MB limit to the monthly bandwidth (traffic) for free sites.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Use this site for students to post simple projects such as stories, poems, and art projects on a mobile friendly page. These could be shared easily on a class set of iTouches! Collect a master list of links to student pages on your classroom website, wiki, or blog for easy access. If students are creating pages, be sure to check with your district's policy on student use of email as well as publishing of student work. Create websites for many projects: back to school introductions, any subject/topic, research projects, book reports... the possibilities go on and on! Create a handy mobile-friendly page to share resources and information during field trips or outside activities. If you do a field study, make a simple page of the activities students are expected to do there so they can access it easily using their smart phones.

JumpRope offers an online, standards-based gradebook and lesson building program. You can also include information such as attendance, character, and standards-based performance with just a few easy entries. Manually enter your students' names in JumpRope or upload a spreadsheet of names to begin. Use the tabs on the dashboard to move around to different areas of the site. Write anecdotes on student behavior, assign a category and value, and more. Collaborative features between teachers appear to require a school or district level membership, and there is no information stating it is free. Based on backwards design principles, this planning tool considers learning goals before assessments or learning experiences. Assessments are aligned to one or more chosen standards. Upload as many supporting documents or resources you desire to use throughout the year and beyond.

Problem-Attic is a resource for finding and compiling the best questions from NY Regents, State Assessments, Academic Competitions, and more for classroom or individual use. Select, arrange, and format questions as desired. Select questions by browsing topics or exams. Add items as desired to your document with the link provided. Drag and drop selections into any order such as easy to hard, all multiple choice items together, etc. Choose a template for how questions should look. Choose other options such as allowing room for students to show work and printing an answer key. Preview your document until it is complete then print in PDF format.

In the Classroom

Save this site as an excellent practice for end of year testing, state tests, and national tests. Use Problem-Attic to personalize learning for students. Share this tool on your class website for students to use both in and out of the classroom to prepare for state testing. Challenge your students to create (and print) practice tests for other students. Coaches for academic competitions can use this site for team practice. Teachers of gifted can use it for students to practice for out-of-level testing used to screen students for special gifted opportunities.

ESL Discussions is a resource of over 600 discussion questions. They could be used in ESL/ELL lessons, speaking practice, debate clubs, and as needed for any speaking activities. Categorized alphabetically, topics include everyday themes such as donuts as well as more controversial topics such as marijuana. Teachers working with K-12 students will want to select the questions rather than sending students to the site since there are also some very sensitive topics. Choose a topic to view two sets of questions to spark conversations: one for student A and another for student B. Choose the link to print questions in either Word or PDF. Although this site has a lot of advertisements, there are some very interesting topics to discuss/share.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Bookmark this site to use anytime you want to develop and promote discussion skills in your classroom. After students have completed their discussion questions, have them present their findings to the class then create a quick poll (with no membership required) using using Updwn, reviewed here. Share with ESL/ELL and Special Education teachers as a resource for promoting discussion and speaking skills with their students. Use this site for teacher-selected topics in debate club, speech class, and more. Some of the topics could even make good blog prompts.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from May 2013, opens in Adobe Connect. Find ways for both you and your students to stay fresh during the summer. Learn about some "Summer Sparklers" to share with your students and explore many timesaving tools for yourself: professional resources, communication and organization tools, plus classroom ideas. A question/answer period will be available. It's OK2Ask'®.

As a result of this session and through individual follow-up, teachers will: Explore the various Professional Resources available at TeachersFirst: differentiating, professional development, time saving tools, latest tech for teaching, and more; Browse and explore the various ready to go activities for students to "stay fresh"; Locate materials relevant to his/her professional challenges or students' needs; and (Follow-up) Find and use resources for both teachers and students to refresh and learn over the summer. Applicable NETS-T standards (2008)*: 1b, 2a and b, 3d. The text of these standards is copyrighted. Please read the full text at ISTE's NETS-T page.

In the Classroom

Find some excellent summer "refreshments" to share with your students on your class website or your final classroom news! Explore the teacher "refreshments" yourself once school unwinds for the year. Looking for a way to get your staff excited about summer learning? Why not invite your colleagues to view this webinar with you either in the computer lab or at home! Be sure to take a look at the resource page full of refreshing ideas! Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

Read about the Battle of Gettysburg through the eyes of a thirteen year old girl named Lydia Catherine Ziegler. Lydia wrote this around the year 1900 when she was about 50 years old. She tells her story starting with the arrival of the Confederate soldiers into town. She talks about the turmoil and hardships created from helping and ministering to fallen soldiers.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Have students share what they have learned by creating personalized images (with text) using PicFont reviewed here. To find Creative Commons images for student projects (with credit, of course), try PhotoPin, reviewed here. Include this story as a supplement to your current Civil War materials and lessons. Discover even more about the Battle of Gettysburg at TeachersFirst's Gettysburg by the Numbers.

Browse over 30,000 free ebook (pdf format) titles and games available for immediate download at CurrClick! Scroll through the book list or choose from specific publishers to search for titles. Topics range from basic phonics readers to the Declaration of Independence to many others! Some of the topics are religious based (mostly Christian). If you are in a public school, you may want to avoid those topics. Narrow your search by choosing the link to free ebooks. Enter your search term to find available titles. Appropriate ages for each book are provided as you scroll through. Add desired books to your cart. Create an account using your email and password and then check out. After check out, titles are available for immediate download in PDF format.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Bookmark this site for use throughout the year for materials to use with any unit. Check back often, as new titles may be added! Display documents on your projector or interactive whiteboard to teach almost any language arts skills: highlighting parts of speech, subject/predicate, etc. Teacher notetaking or working with informational texts using these free texts. Be sure to use the FREE search to avoid paid texts. This would be a good site to share with students on your class website, blog, or wiki.

Texting, texting... 1, 2, 3. Are you hunting for a good text messaging tool? Celly is a free mobile social network to communicate with students and parents via text message. A simple setup process allows you to create as many cells (private texting rooms) as you like. Provide your unique code to students and parents to join your cell through their phone or the web. Members can use Celly online or through a mobile device. Require usernames or allow users to be anonymous. Members' numbers are private for safe and secure communication. Customize your cells with how you want to interact with your members. Conversation mode can be configured for one-way messaging, from the teacher to all members, or two-way group chat between all members. Multiple-choice polls allow numerous opportunities for engagement. Schedule messages to be sent at a later time. Link your cell(s) online for students and parents who do not have text messaging. This is a device-agnostic tool, available on the web but also available for free as both an Android and iOS app. Use it from any device or move between several devices and still access your work. App and web versions vary slightly. FAQ: Celly is free if you use the Celly website or Celly apps. Every newly created cell is given 1,000 free SMS text messages. However, standard text message rates apply. Students ages 13-18 must have parental permission to use Celly.

In the Classroom

Celly could work in class as an instant response system if your school allows cell phones. Create a protected online environment for students to communicate with you and with each other. Set up your account and all students (and parents) at the beginning of the school year or at Back to School night. Students can communicate online or on a phone. Students and parents without cell phones won't be left out because they can interact online. Quickly send reminders to students and parents or promote an upcoming event or due date. No need to watch the news! Send alerts to members for weather closures and delays. Even if your students are too young, teachers can communicate with parents via Celly. Schedule messages up to 90 days in the future. Use Celly as a back channel or interactive wall during class. Students can use the @me feature for note-taking in class. Provide polls for exit slips or to activate schema. Send polls during field trips to monitor engagement and text trivia questions on the bus ride home. Send reminders to chaperones on field trips. Students and chaperones can text you throughout the trip as virtual safety checks. Real time information from the polls provides rich data. Polls are efficient and meaningful. They make the classroom feel like a larger place.

You can say so much in only 140 characters. Allow students to use texting language to send responses. However, they should also have to write the message using correct conventions. Teach the difference between formal and non-formal writing. Rewrite passages in abbreviated speech through text messages. Students translate the messages to gain a better understanding of the material. Students can also rewrite work for peers to translate. Students can text thoughts as they read a selection to group members for interactive reading. Teach digital citizenship in a controlled environment. Responsibly using cell phones in the classroom teaches digital literacy skills to be successful.

Citelighter is a browser extension (available for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari) that enables you to select sections of webpages and save/organize them. It also automatically creates an APA, MLA, or Chicago style bibliography from items you highlight and collect. Highlight and save information from any web page after adding the extension to your browser's task bar. Add notes if desired. Share or find already highlighted information through the use of Knowledge Cards already saved and tagged. Drag and drop items to put in any order desired. Change the format using links provided. You can save desired information easily to Word or Google Docs.

In the Classroom

Share with students as a resource for saving and organizing web material. The clipping feature allows students to highlight the key information from a page so that a few days down the road they're not wondering why they bookmarked a webpage. The bibliography tools help students properly format their Works Cited pages. And searching the Knowledge Cards is like opening to the bibliography of a good book and finding out what the author used in his or her research. Use this tool to help keep your students (or even yourself) organized! Note that a clever student could essentially "grab" pieces of text from throughout the web and "write" a paper that way. Make sure you teach plagiarism lessons about paraphrasing and proper citation of sources so students use this easy tool properly!

This American Presidents website contains lesson plans for teaching about each of the US presidents all the way through Barack Obama. The site uses the informational text about each president to teach, reinforce, and review English language concepts. The site is directly geared toward ESL/ELL students. However, all users will benefit from materials provided. Choose any president to view a short biography. There are also language lessons such as fill in the blank and writing activities. Choose from links at the top of the page to print the lesson in PDF format, hear the article read in mp3 format, and view additional activities such as flash cards and word jumbles. Although heavy in advertising, this site is worth a look as a resource for activities and lessons about US presidents.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Bookmark and save this site as a resource to accompany US presidents units or to supplement current materials used in teaching about the presidents. This is a great tool to use in English/language arts class for nonfiction readings. If you want to remove distracting advertisements, use a tool such as Readability (reviewed here). Print activities and biographies about several different presidents to add to your substitute folder. Share this site with ESL/ELL and Special Education teachers as a resource for materials.

ESL Reader provides instant reading help for English language learners. Use it to improve reading time and reading skills. Simply copy/paste or type text into the box and click. Each word becomes a link to a dictionary, thesaurus, or other reference including Wikipedia. Numerous dictionaries and references are available. Select the dictionary or other reference work and click. The site also translates the selected text into a variety of languages, but use caution with online translators! They often scramble meaning and syntax.This site includes advertising.

Discover a wealth of writing ideas at this expansive site, including "Common Core friendly" ones! Sign up for the monthly newsletter to get a new writing idea each month. This Ning site has several groups to join, depending on your interests. If the group you're looking for doesn't exist, create one. At the time of this review, the current month's writing lesson is at the top of the home page. The menu across the top provides access to past writing lessons. This site mentions the Six Traits of Writing, and each month focuses on a different trait. A picture book that also focuses on the writing trait is part of the lesson plan.

In the Classroom

Find ideas for your students to write about. Or better yet, show them the categories, lists, and ideas and have them choose something as a class. Create small groups and allow them to look through the past writing lessons and books and decide as a group what they would like to write about. Use a program such as MixedInk reviewed here or allwritewithme reviewed here to help them collaborate on their writing experience. The site uses the Six Traits of Writing, and each month focuses on a different trait. To learn more about the Six Traits of writing visit Six Traits of Writing reviewed here or 6+1 Trait Writing Lesson Plans reviewed here.

Whip up a batch of Bingo cards in no time with Bingo Baker! Give your card a title and start typing words into the Bingo grid, change Bingo column headings if desired. Use the option to leave the center space free or not by checking the box at the bottom of the page. When finished, click Generate to produce your cards. The free option is limited to printing 8 cards at a time. This may work best for centers and small group work instead of whole class activities.

In the Classroom

Use Bingo Baker to create Bingo games to review any topic with small groups. Instead of telling the word that is on the Bingo card give the definition (so students must find the term) or a math problem whose answer is among those on the card. Create sight word bingo cards for younger students. This is a great review tool for science or social studies. Put a short description of a vocabulary word into the space. Tell students the name of the vocabulary word and see if they can find it on the Bingo card. Or do the reverse and write the vocabulary word on the card and read the definition to the class. Encourage students to create bingo games for each other as review or to engage the audience during oral presentations. Learning support teachers can create them together with students as an engaging way to review. World language teachers (and students) can create bingo cards to reinforce vocabulary.

Forge connections between the arts and other subjects through resources at Education Closet. Choose the lessons link to find many lessons for grades K-12. Each lesson preview contains a short description, information about classroom and fine arts content. Many also correlate to Common Core standards. You can search for lessons by grade levels (K-3, 4-8, or 9-12). Choose a lesson for a more complete description. Click to download the complete lesson in PDF format. Each lesson contains a list of materials, complete directions, assessments, and suggestions for extending the lesson.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Bookmark and save this site as a resource for integrating academic content and fine arts in any grade level. Share this site with your school's art teacher as a resource for collaborative planning. Search lessons by grade level. Bring a little creativity into your classroom and your lessons regardless of what grade or subject you teach!

This collection of over 150 lessons provides biographies and profiles of well known personalities for ESL/ELL (and other) students. The famous people range from 50 Cent to Walt Disney. Scroll through the list of names. The main page shows each person's profession (or claim to fame), nationality, birthdate and date of death (when appropriate). Choose a name to go to the lesson. Lessons include a short biography (7-8th grade level reading) and activities to accompany it. Examples of activities include synonym match, cloze activities, spelling, and discussion questions.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

This is an excellent site to use as part of a biography unit to match biographies to individual student interests. Allow students to choose a person, then print activities for them to complete. Use this site to practice reading fluency, informational texts, and comprehension with any student, Use this site in your substitute folder. Choose several biographies and print accompanying activities for students to complete. Have students create an annotated image of a biographical character including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Thinglink, reviewed here. Share with learning support teachers as well as ESL/ELL teachers to use as a high interest activity for older students.

A Close Look at Close Reading has a printable toolkit describing the Purpose of Close Reading - Suggested Strategies, Key Terms, and Visual Tools or Materials. Included are suggestions for organizers and examples for selecting and using questioning in text. One helpful section discusses how to choose appropriate text for close reading and explains that text with simple story lines and vocabulary aren't best suited for this strategy.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from April 2013, opens in Adobe Connect. This session is for anyone currently in a 1:1 program, anticipating being in a 1:1 environment, or looking for helpful information to make the case for 1:1 teaching and learning. Explore resources for the management of assignments and other issues in and out of class. Identify strategies to use in moving your classroom to a 1:1 environment and learn from others who currently teach in that type of environment. Share ideas and experiences with others to shift a traditional classroom to a 1:1 experience. As a result of this session and through individual follow-up, teachers will: Explore TeachersFirst, evaluating its resources, original content, and value-added reviews for potential in meeting the needs of teachers and students they work with in a 1:1 environment; Search and share experiences and resources for the management of activities and other issues; Discuss instructional decisions and strategies for effective use of technology in a 1:1 classroom; Find and exchange challenges, ideas, and solutions with others through live discussion during the session; Identify steps to creating an effective 1:1 classroom environment; (follow-up) Use selected solutions from this session and/or TeachersFirst's resources to suggest or model new strategies/resources in an upcoming classroom or sharing opportunity.

In the Classroom

Learn more about teaching in a 1:1 environment. Use the ideas shared in this session to transition into a 1:1 classroom. In addition to viewing the recording, be sure to visit the resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

The 360Cities panoramas are a new way to showcase places, businesses, and events from around the world. Looking for a new virtual field trip? 360Cities will have your students spinning in circles with excitement. The pictures are out of this world! View 360 degree panoramic pictures from Mars or under the sea. Travel to snowy mountain tops and many more of the Internet's largest collection of uploaded panoramic images. 360Cities panoramic aerial shots are also available as well as navigable views of cities, natural landscapes, and more. The most popular panoramic pictures are listed for your convenience. This website has panoramic views of all Seven Wonders of the World, which include the Colosseum in Rome, The Great Wall of China, Petra in Jordan, The Taj Mahal in India, Machu Picchu in Peru, Christ Redeemer in Rio, and Chichen Itza in Mexico. Are you looking for a site to showcase your own panoramic shots or do you want to learn how to take panoramic shots? 360Cities "how to" section offers tools to create and upload your own panoramic pictures. View the existing pictures for free or use an email address to create a free account to upload your own panoramic pictures. Paid upgrades are available. 360Cities also has an app for iOS devices. View the 360Cities blog linked on the site for more information.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

The 360Cities panoramic pictures provide a vivid visual experience to enhance any lesson. Students can search and view the panoramic setting of a reading passage or novel. Need to paint a picture for students about a historical topic? View the image on 360Cities. Activate schema with these vivid images. Bring Science to life as you explore the many natural wonders of our world and even space. Explore these exciting worlds through the panoramic pictures. Visit businesses and famous landmarks around the world for a free virtual tour. Looking for creative writing prompts? Use the images for poems or story starters. Teaching geometry? Have students locate geometric figures in the pictures. Provide students an image and challenge them to create a virtual tour as they explore the image. Use web 2.0 tools or the students' artistic talents to create travel brochures for the panoramic pictures. Record the tours as a screencast or present orally. Use the "how-to" section to have your students create their own panoramic pictures. Take a panoramic shot of your classroom to post on your website or blog. Use DSLR cameras or cell phones to create your panoramic pictures.